Rating: 
Summary: Magical movie with beautiful scenery
Review: I had seen this movie in the theatre and now have seen it on video as well. It was just as entertaining and sweet a story as it was the first time around. I think Rosalba does feel sort of shafted by her family and in turn decides to take that time to really do something for herself for a change. She sort of takes on a different lifestyle completely and in the process I think she finds herself. The characters she encounters make the story all the more fun and entertaining and they each seem to relate to her and/or teach her in some fashion. I think the chemistry and hidden romance between her and Fernando is wonderful and sweetly displayed throughout the movie. I think she basically saved his life. He had been trying to kill himself in a brief shot at least twice when he was interrupted by her. I am NOT a middle aged housewife nor am I even married and I found this movie very touching and beautifully done. The scenery in Venice and all around Italy really adds to the story and characters. It is just a delightful film. If you have love in your heart, a hint of magic in your soul, and a love of travel - this is a perfect movie! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Bread & Tulips
Review: I would not equate this with Bridges of Madison County which was more of a tragic love story.
It reminded me more of an Italian "Shirley Valentine". Rosalba stepped away from her role as wife and mother and began to discover herself again. Something a lot of women seem to lose when caught up in the day to day life of marriage and children. Every middle aged woman should see this film. It's impossible not to smile at the end!
Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable and touching movie.
Review: I'm glad I had an opportunity to see this movie. I found it very enjoyable, and also quite touching in many scenes. It is a very pleasant and refreshing alternative to the typical and formulaic movies coming out of Hollywood these days. There are no deafening crashes or explosions. There are few bombastic momements of "high drama." What you end up with is a very nice and touching story about some special human beings you enjoy getting to know.
Rating:
Summary: Ah, need I say more?
Review: If viewers are enamoured by "Under the Tuscan Sun", "Thelma & Louise", "Shirley Valentine", this movie is definitely for you. The storyline is formulaic enough, an under-appreciated and clumsy wife who happened to miss her bus on a tour and decided not to return home straight away but ended up in Venice, the city that she had always wanted to go. Originally, it's supposed to be for overnight but overnight was extended into a couple of days and in the end, she gotten herself a job there! She befriended a waitress (the leading male) who provided her with a refuge, a new-age masseur who lived next door. The comic really started when the husband hired a plumber to search for his lost wife and the cat and mouse chase enabled us to have a glimpse of the Venice that we haven't seen before. Being a feel good movie, all ends well. Towards the end, you would understand why this movie is named as such, Bread and Tulips. Highly recommended. A typical Italian movie that celebrates life to the fullest!
Rating:
Summary: Touching and Rewarding
Review: In the hands of directors and actors less patient and subtle, this film could have simply come across as contrived and stupid; fortunately, we are dealing with a director who allows the story to unfold gradually, so that we more fully connect with the characters within. And those characters are played by actors who are not given to chewing up scenery, but instead give wonderfully understated perfomances, particularly in the case of Bruno Ganz.At the center of the story are two people who have basically allowed life and circumstances roll over them like a steamroller. Rosealba is a housewife whose whole being has been given over to tending to the needs of her utterly indifferent family. The husband's only attention is abusive, while the sons are supremely self-absorbed. On the other end is Fernando, the depressed and suicidal Icelandic waiter, who has to be one of the bleakest characters I have encountered in a long time. Both characters have lost contact with the things that truly bring joy into their respective lives. Both love music and dancing, and have done neither for years. When Rosealba, while on a vacation tour with her family, is forgotten and left behind at a busstop, something inside her snaps and she takes matters into her own hands. Pursuing her own self-interest for perhaps the first time in her life, she makes her way to (unbelievably dry and unpolluted --- ah the movies) Venice, where she encounters a variety of friends and opportunities that awaken in her the desires and interests that have lain dormant for so long. I particularly enjoyed watching her play the accordion, as she gets very up close and personal with her instrument. Anyone who is a musician with any skill can relate to the deep emotional bond that can develop between player and instrument, which is a unique bond. That bond was very well portrayed here. Eventually she is tracked down by a barely competent detective (possessing perhaps the most annoying cell phone in the world), and is made to feel guilty for abandoning her obligations to her family. She faces up to her responsibilities and returns home. The movie could have perhaps ended at this point, leaving us a little depressed and wondering what might follow. I would have preferred an ending along these lines, because it forces the movie viewer to ponder what the future for these characters might be. However, the movie cruises along and wraps up with a happy ending, as Fernando, for perhaps the first time in his life, takes matters into his hands and launches an expedition to retrieve Rosealba. He succeeds, and the circle of friends (which now includes a much happier detective) returns to Venice, presumably to live happily ever after. Even with an ending as cheesy as that, the performances by the actors allow the viewer to look beyond the occasional flaws of the movie and appreciate what is overall a very satisfying production.
Rating:
Summary: A romantic comedy set in Venice? Who would have thunk it?
Review: It is bound to happen. A romantic comedy set in Venice is like a Broadway show set in New York. It makes the perfect sense. The pair of love birds might not be your typical young twenty-something in love. In fact, one is a runaway middle-aged mom, Rosalba(Maglietta Maglietta), and the other is an over-the-hill waiter-slash-romantic poet (Bruno Ganz)who is just about to commit suicide the day he meets her. However, it has all the right ingredients to make it a sweet and charming love story, and an award-winning one at that. If you have never seen Venice in real life, this movie will put you on the narrow streets and alleyways of Venice minus the sewage smell in the summer. As a substitute for the smell, there is a story about the bumbling plumber (Venice does need good plumbers!) who got hired by Rosalba's husband to track her down, and voila, there is your comedic element. The cinematography is breathtaking, as it has become a standard in many top quality European films these days. It is most likely you won't walk away with the thought that this is one of the best movies you have ever seen. It is a fairly accessible piece that has many of the right elements of a superior movie. One complaint is that the segues between reality and Rosalba's imagination are confusing at times, and in my opinion, do not serve much purpose in the narration. Overall, it is an entertaining film that you should catch one of these days. Especially during those days you miss Venice or want to know what it is like.
Rating:
Summary: "Once again, happiness knocked on my door in vain."
Review: Italian housewife, Rosalba Barletta (Licia Maglietta) is on en route back home after a holiday with her obnoxious loudmouth husband and their two teenage sons. Rosalba is inadvertently left behind at a bus stop. At first she intends to catch up with her family, but then she makes a detour to Venice--a city she's always wanted to see. A one-night escape converts into a full-blown adventure, and soon Rosalba is living and working in Venice establishing a new life all of her own.
Rosalba's overbearing husband furiously demands that she return, but his nastiness serves only to re-enforce the reasons she's in Venice in the first place. When Rosalba doesn't return, her husband (who is also cheap to the core) employs a plumber with an interest in detective fiction to hunt Rosalba down and bring her back to her ever-mounting housewifely chores.
Three characters aid and abet Rosalba. There's Fernando Girasoli (Bruno Ganz), the loquacious waiter at a local Chinese restaurant, Grazia, the new age masseuse, and a florist with anarchistic tendencies. The naive plumber sent to track down Rosalba discovers that some detective novels tips are invaluable when tracking down a renegade housewife. While it is definitely true that the film's appeal targets those who experience love in middle age, there's also a delicious novelty to "Bread and Tulips." It's an utterly charming film. It's romantic, but it's also funny. And there's a reassurance that stepping into a new life may be as simple as missing the bus. If you enjoyed "Educating Rita" and "Shirley Valentine", then there's an excellent chance that you will also enjoy the very good-natured Italian film, "Bread and Tulips"--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: DATE FILM ALERT: charming love story in a beautiful setting
Review: Licia Maglietta as the middle-aged under-appreciated housewife Rosalba and Bruno Ganz as the suicidal poet and restauranteur Fernando are both charming in this tale of mature love in Venice. When she is accidentally left at a rest stop during a bus tour with her family, Rosalba decides to have an adventure and see Venice. As usual in this film genre, she meets quirky people and has small but magical things happen. These are films that depict characters undergoing growth and transformation, and while the details and ending depend on the director's temperament, the film's success depends on the actors' ability. In the case of Bread & Tulips, an optimistic outlook and a fine cast make this a fun and charming film, perfect for a date where you want to say "Love can be quite nice". (Unlike a first dinner/date I had where the guy brought over John Hurt in the bleak and violent "1984". Very short relationship.) The emphasis here is on growth rather than transformation, since Maglietta is so beautiful and joyful that she can't be 100% believable as the bored and boring frumpy housewife. Perhaps you remember Bruno Ganz from Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire? This is a less divine role for the charismatic Ganz, but here he speaks beautiful Italian, recites poetry and eventually twinkles his eye at the lovely lady in distress. Though when they meet he has been contemplating suicide, this aspect of the film is neither overemphasized nor played for laughs. There is a sizeable cast, and every one is very good. There are quite a few lovely exterior shots in Venice and the music is fine, though you will not be humming any tunes the next day. Optional English subtitles, and trailers for Bread & Tulips, The Luzhin Defence and House of Mirth are the only added features on the disk.
Rating:
Summary: DATE FILM ALERT: charming love story in a beautiful setting
Review: Licia Maglietta as the middle-aged under-appreciated housewife Rosalba and Bruno Ganz as the suicidal poet and restauranteur Fernando are both charming in this tale of mature love in Venice. When she is accidentally left at a rest stop during a bus tour with her family, Rosalba decides to have an adventure and see Venice. As usual in this film genre, she meets quirky people and has small but magical things happen. These are films that depict characters undergoing growth and transformation, and while the details and ending depend on the director's temperament, the film's success depends on the actors' ability. In the case of Bread & Tulips, an optimistic outlook and a fine cast make this a fun and charming film, perfect for a date where you want to say "Love can be quite nice". (Unlike a first dinner/date I had where the guy brought over John Hurt in the bleak and violent "1984". Very short relationship.) The emphasis here is on growth rather than transformation, since Maglietta is so beautiful and joyful that she can't be 100% believable as the bored and boring frumpy housewife. Perhaps you remember Bruno Ganz from Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire? This is a less divine role for the charismatic Ganz, but here he speaks beautiful Italian, recites poetry and eventually twinkles his eye at the lovely lady in distress. Though when they meet he has been contemplating suicide, this aspect of the film is neither overemphasized nor played for laughs. There is a sizeable cast, and every one is very good. There are quite a few lovely exterior shots in Venice and the music is fine, though you will not be humming any tunes the next day. Optional English subtitles, and trailers for Bread & Tulips, The Luzhin Defence and House of Mirth are the only added features on the disk.
Rating: 
Summary: Dreadfully overrated trash!
Review: Maybe I can't appreciate Bread and Tulips because I am not a middle-aged housewife. I found the film slow, overlong, boring, and pointless. I could not feel any sympathy for the main character, therefore I couldn't like her, which made me dislike the film itself. How can I like someone who leaves her family for no reason to start a new life just for the hell of it. I didn't understand what motivated this character to do what she did or why she didn't even care to find out how her children are doing. Yes, her husband was a pig and didn't deserve her, but what fault do the children have? She was a distant and unlikeable woman who didn't even seem to realize how serious her actions were. The ending was absolutely ridiculous and I was fuming and impatient for the film to end by the time the credits started to roll! Not only does her so-called real love, a man old enough to be her father, drive from Venice to claim her, but he somehow seems to know that she would be at the supermarket in the middle of the day, bringing the film to an end ridiculous even by cheesy American romance standards. This film was recommended to me as a lighthearted comedy, but I didn't laugh once. In fact, I am baffled at all these five star reviews because this film was so awful. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I hated it. Maybe it was just so overrated that I expected something more, but aside from the gorgeous setting, there is absolutely nothing in this for me to recommend it.
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